MakeBeliefsComix is a website that offers imaginative and fun comics’ creation tool for anyone who would like to give it a try. Users do not need an account to use this website. It has detailed instructions that are very helpful to the novice user. While creating a comic there are dialogue prompts at the bottom edge of each frame that help the user decide what should go in each panel, a features that can be helpful to students who are new to the process and need some help getting started. Users can create comics with two, three, or four panels. The program comes with over 50 diverse characters to choose from that can be animated in different ways. They include men, women, children, the young and old, people of various racial and ethnic background, a few people in a wheelchairs, someone undergoing chemo therapy, and historical figures like Abe Lincoln. There are eight thought balloons and eight talk balloons and a handful of transition panel prompts. The comic comes with about a dozen backgrounds, more than 50 objects and another dozen comic words (POW, eek, etc.) to choose from. Although this program does not have as many options as Toondoo it is more user friendly and fun to use. It looks and feels like a real cartoon and the cast of characters help convey this feeling. The many black and white backgrounds also have the classic look of old cartoons. The finished comic cannot be saved on the website, but can be saved to the computer, emailed or printed. The overall website has a very positive and upbeat feel to it. There is a free printable section that has diverse and inspiring exercises that can be used to help students express themselves positively and talk about making good choices. The partially created comics range from self-esteem and bullying, to the Civil Rights movement, and 9/11.These comics can be great conversation starter on very difficult topics and in the hands of capable teachers can be used ala Maus by Art Spiegelman who used a comic book to address the Holocaust. Besides English comics can be created in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin and Portuguese, and other languages will be added soon. Makebeliefscomix has an educational overtone that is exemplified by its many suggestions for classroom use. It lists 25 ways to use the comic in the classroom, has ideas for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs, fill in the blanks comics, and videos. There also are lesson plans for language comprehension, ESOL, foreign language instruction, and children with autism. It has an app for use with Apple products and users can download a handful of free e-books. Finally, the comments and discussions suggest that the website has been responsive to customer input, which has led to a number of improvements over the last nine years.
2. Screen shot
3.Possible uses in the classroom including grade level relevancy, evaluation of the ease and probability of use
MakeBeliefsComix is easy to use and has helpful hints and dialogue prompts that would be useful to students in grades 1 and up. Ideally students should be able to read to use this tool, but even younger ones may enjoy dragging and dropping images into panels. These comics can be used in class and the website mentions “25 ways to use MBC in the classroom.” It also offers lesson plans with suggestions for incorporating the comics into classroom instructions. There is a high probability of this tool being used in the classroom because it does not require users to log in, which teachers will love, and it provides numerous suggestions for using comics educationally.
4. Possible uses with diverse learners
MakeBeliefsComix is well-suited for diverse learners. The website has suggestions for using the comics to teach students with autism. It also has an section devoted to ESOL students. The makers argue that ESOL students could benefit from short sentences in comic strips that covey a wealth of information. Additionally, they posit that when we see a blank thought bubble we want to write our own script and that could be the start of the writing process for ESOL students. (MakeBeliefsComiX.com/ESOL)
1. Description
MakeBeliefsComix is a website that offers imaginative and fun comics’ creation tool for anyone who would like to give it a try. Users do not need an account to use this website. It has detailed instructions that are very helpful to the novice user. While creating a comic there are dialogue prompts at the bottom edge of each frame that help the user decide what should go in each panel, a features that can be helpful to students who are new to the process and need some help getting started. Users can create comics with two, three, or four panels. The program comes with over 50 diverse characters to choose from that can be animated in different ways. They include men, women, children, the young and old, people of various racial and ethnic background, a few people in a wheelchairs, someone undergoing chemo therapy, and historical figures like Abe Lincoln. There are eight thought balloons and eight talk balloons and a handful of transition panel prompts. The comic comes with about a dozen backgrounds, more than 50 objects and another dozen comic words (POW, eek, etc.) to choose from. Although this program does not have as many options as Toondoo it is more user friendly and fun to use. It looks and feels like a real cartoon and the cast of characters help convey this feeling. The many black and white backgrounds also have the classic look of old cartoons.The finished comic cannot be saved on the website, but can be saved to the computer, emailed or printed. The overall website has a very positive and upbeat feel to it. There is a free printable section that has diverse and inspiring exercises that can be used to help students express themselves positively and talk about making good choices. The partially created comics range from self-esteem and bullying, to the Civil Rights movement, and 9/11.These comics can be great conversation starter on very difficult topics and in the hands of capable teachers can be used ala Maus by Art Spiegelman who used a comic book to address the Holocaust. Besides English comics can be created in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin and Portuguese, and other languages will be added soon.
Makebeliefscomix has an educational overtone that is exemplified by its many suggestions for classroom use. It lists 25 ways to use the comic in the classroom, has ideas for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs, fill in the blanks comics, and videos. There also are lesson plans for language comprehension, ESOL, foreign language instruction, and children with autism. It has an app for use with Apple products and users can download a handful of free e-books. Finally, the comments and discussions suggest that the website has been responsive to customer input, which has led to a number of improvements over the last nine years.
2. Screen shot
3. Possible uses in the classroom including grade level relevancy, evaluation of the ease and probability of use
MakeBeliefsComix is easy to use and has helpful hints and dialogue prompts that would be useful to students in grades 1 and up. Ideally students should be able to read to use this tool, but even younger ones may enjoy dragging and dropping images into panels. These comics can be used in class and the website mentions “25 ways to use MBC in the classroom.” It also offers lesson plans with suggestions for incorporating the comics into classroom instructions. There is a high probability of this tool being used in the classroom because it does not require users to log in, which teachers will love, and it provides numerous suggestions for using comics educationally.
4. Possible uses with diverse learners
MakeBeliefsComix is well-suited for diverse learners. The website has suggestions for using the comics to teach students with autism. It also has an section devoted to ESOL students. The makers argue that ESOL students could benefit from short sentences in comic strips that covey a wealth of information. Additionally, they posit that when we see a blank thought bubble we want to write our own script and that could be the start of the writing process for ESOL students. (MakeBeliefsComiX.com/ESOL)5. A sample work and/or a tutorial/video
A sample work
A tutorial
.